IRCC Deputy Minister Transition Binder 2026 - Relationship with Quebec

Context

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s bilateral relationship with Quebec is defined by the 1991 Canada–Quebec Accord Relating to Immigration and the Temporary Admission of Aliens (the Accord), which is designed to preserve Quebec’s demographic weight and promote the integration of immigrants in the province, while respecting its distinct identity.

Under the Accord, Canada has withdrawn from settlement services in the province and provides annual compensation in the form of a grant. In 2025–2026, the Accord grant was $867.3M. The Department’s primary interlocutor in Quebec is the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI).

Background

Canada-Quebec Accord

• The 1991 Canada–Quebec Accord defines roles and responsibilities between the two orders of government with respect to immigration.
• The Accord grants Quebec:
  • Authority to establish selection criteria and select permanent immigrants to Quebec in most categories, as well as a say over most temporary residents (students, workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program).
  • The right to receive a certain number of permanent immigrants each year, as well as a say on the number of immigrants they would like to receive in each category (not just those for which they have selection authority).
    • The Accord permits Quebec to set its maximum permanent immigration levels to the equivalent of its demographic weight (currently 22%) plus 5% (for a total of 27%). Quebec’s planned levels, as a proportion of federal levels, is approximately 12% for 2026.
  • It also commits Quebec to receiving a proportionate number of resettled refugees.
• Under the Accord, the federal government maintains authority for:
  • Selection in some permanent resident categories (e.g., family), as well as certain temporary resident streams (e.g., workers in the International Mobility Program);
  • Determining the total number of immigrants to be admitted to the country in a year, taking Quebec’s requirements into account; and
  • Determining if a foreign national is admissible to Canada.
• Canada compensates Quebec each year for the services it provides to permanent immigrants. The amount is determined by a formula in the Accord and can never go down from year to year.
  • Calculation of the grant is determined using the baseline of the previous year’s payment plus an escalation factor. The escalation factor is calculated on the basis of the percentage increase in all net federal expenditures and the percentage increase in the number of non-francophone immigrants who come to Quebec compared with the previous year.
  • In 2025–2026, no escalation factor was applicable based on the formula calculation. The payment remained at $867.3M, which was the baseline from 2024–2025 and becomes the new baseline for 2026–2027.

Key Issues in IRCC’s Relationship with Quebec 

Immigration Levels

• Quebec sets its own levels plan for permanent resident admissions. In November 2025, Quebec tabled its Levels plan for 2026, which included, for the first time, temporary resident targets, just like Canada’s national immigration levels plan.
• In 2026, Quebec will admit 45,000 permanent residents, of which 28,000 are economic class and 10,400 are family class.
• Quebec continues to seek federal reductions in the number of temporary residents in the province, namely workers admitted under the International Mobility Program and asylum claimants.

Francization

• Quebec links the issue of preserving the French language with its ability to select francophones to the province. To support its objectives, Quebec has asked that French language proficiency requirements be added to select temporary worker applicants where they do not have authority to do so themselves.
• The Department is pursing regulatory changes to implement this requirement by 2028 (aligned with Quebec’s planned implementation).

Asylum

• Quebec welcomed a large number of asylum claimants during the height of irregular border crossings at Roxham Road from 2021 to 2023. Since policy changes were made in March 2023, the number of claimants arriving between ports of entry has significantly decreased.
• In 2024, the federal government provided $750M to the Government of Quebec in recognition of the temporary housing and asylum-related challenges caused by irregular border crossings.
• Quebec argues it receives a disproportionate number of asylum claimants relative to its population. The province advocates for a more equitable distribution of asylum claimants across the country.

Key Takeaways

• Engagement with the Quebec government is frequent, and is key to the effective delivery of the Department’s mandate and shared areas of responsibility under the Accord.
• Engagement with Quebec is distinctive in comparison to other provinces and territories as it is based on the expanded powers and objectives of the Canada–Quebec Accord.